A Constructivist Study of Middle School Students' Narratives and Ecological Illustrations

Autor/inn/en	Stokrocki, Mary L.; Flatt, Barbara; York, Emily
Titel	A Constructivist Study of Middle School Students' Narratives and Ecological Illustrations
Quelle	In: Journal for Learning through the Arts, 6 (2010) 1, (18 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1932-7528
Schlagwörter	Middle School Students; Constructivism (Learning); Participant Observation; Writing (Composition); Writing Assignments; Narration; Data Collection; Notetaking; Questionnaires; Photography; Illustrations; Story Telling; Misconceptions; Peer Evaluation; Literary Genres; Ecology; Instructional Effectiveness; Transformative Learning; Qualitative Research; Content Analysis; Arizona + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Teilnehmende Beobachtung; Schreibübung; Data capture; Datensammlung; Fragebogen; Fotografie; Bildliche Darstellung; Missverständnis; Literarische Form; Ökologie; Unterrichtserfolg; Pädagogische Transformation; Qualitative Forschung; Inhaltsanalyse
Abstract	Using participant observation, we describe/interpret the results of teaching a constructivist unit that empowered students in narrative writing and illustration. Participant observation methods included daily note taking, pre-post questioning, and photographing artworks. We analyzed students' stories and illustrations with borrowed and emerging categories and included students' criteria from their final peer assessment called Critter Critique. Findings suggest they have misconceptions about the desert (an ugly place or has triangular shaped mountains). When narrating, students showed propensity to use first person narration and humor. They are fascinated with the predator/prey theme and snakes are their dominant desert creatures. When illustrating, some students used expression/projection; all used three or more spatial grounds; and many drew tiny details and secret places. Educators need to discuss with students life cycles in the desert, essential issues such as survival, their place in the preservation of this delicate and quickly disappearing wilderness, and the reasons why they should take care of the desert and its animals. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Center for Learning in the Arts, Sciences and Sustainability. University of California Irvine, School of Biological Sciences III, Office 2656, Irvine, CA 92697. Tel: 949-824-4317; Fax: 949-824-2965; Web site: http://sites.uci.edu/class/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2018/2/05